High Culture

I realized that I haven't really shared any of my "high culture" experiences since I've been here in Madrid, so I figured why not now? The third week of January I went with my theater/cinema class to see a show at Spain's oldest, open/running theater (Corral de Comedias) which happens to be right in my town! The theater is tiny and has a really great intimate feel to it. You are practically right on stage with the actors, so it's a great way to see a show...and it definitely helped me read their lips so I could understand better! We saw Auto de los Reyes, a comedy about the 3 kings trying to find the baby Jesus to bring him gifts. It was a really interesting spin on the biblical story, and despite the fact that it was in Catalan Spanish we were all able to follow it pretty well. The background music was really unique. There were instruments that kind of looked like bagpipes but sounded very Arabian, and there was also an instrument that looked like an 8 string guitar mixed with an accordion and a jack in the box? he positioned his left hand on the neck of the guitar, then pushed down on keys under the sound hole with his right hand and then used his right forearm and elbow to wind a crank on the side...weird but very cool to see and hear!

I've also been to the Prado museum multiple times now. It's such an immense and amazing building that I feel like I could live in Madrid my whole life and go every weekend and still not be able to take it all in. The paintings, the sculptures, the tapestries...it's just all so surreal to walk through. To see paintings that we have discussed in my art history classes and spanish classes in person is just so incredible. It just really gives life to the work and to the artist, and I appreciate everything so much more. It's impossible to really take in a piece by Goya, El Greco, or Velazquez until you are actually standing in front of it. The immensity of the works and the amount of talent and effort put into every cloud, figure, etc. is just amazing. I've yet to see the Reina Sofia because my classes go so late during the week, but I plan on going soon. I can't wait to see Guernica in person!